Escort Trans Strip

Escort Upgrades - Transmission Strip

The first job is to liberate the Limited Slip Diff unit from the donor gearbox. The donor gearbox is dismantled as shown in the following sequence of instructions. However, the dismantling of the gearbox you are planning to use is exactly the same. As I have chosen to use the LSD and final drive from a Series 2 RS Turbo gearbox, that is the gearbox shown being dismantled. The procedure for striping Series1 RS Turbo gearbox is identical.

Preparation

The first job you need to do before you even contemplate dismantling a gearbox is to prepare a clean clear work area and clean the outside of the gearbox. You will also want containers and/or bags of some description to hold small parts and assembles etc.. I used disposable plastic cups and sandwich bags.
You will also need to drain as much oil out of the gearbox as possible. This is best achieved via the drive shaft output holes.
Don't forget to dispose of the gearbox oil properly by taking it in a suitable container to your local recycling center and not by simply pouring it down the nearest drain!

Dismantling
Dismantling of both 4 and 5 speed gearboxes is very similar but in the case of the 4 speed gearbox ignore steps 3 to 6
The gearbox is dismantled as follows:

1) Remove the selector shaft interlocking plunger assemblies

The selector shaft interlocking plunger assemblies positions are arrowed above.
(4 speed gearbox has only one assembly fitted)

The units themselves are simply a sprung loaded plunger that engages with notches cut into the selector shafts.

3) Remove 5th gear selector pin from selector shaft

This is achieved by undoing the clamp screw (arrowed) and pulling the unit off the shaft.

4) Withdraw 5th gear complete with synchronizer clutch and selector fork

Remove the circlip arrowed above to release the 5th gear assembly from the main shaft.

The 5th gear assembly can now be withdrawn from the main shaft along with the selector fork which will come out with it's shaft still attached.

Here you can see the synchronizer clutch still in place on the main shaft and the notches in the 5th gear selector shaft that the interlocking plunger assembly removed earlier engages into.

5) Remove 5th gear driving gear from input shaft

This gear is held in place with a snap ring. this is similar to a circlip except that it has no tangs with holes in to enable the use of circlip pliers.

They can be very awkward to remove but the best method I found for this snap rings removal was to slide an old nail into one of the splines of the shaft to effectively lock the ring in position and stop it from rotating.

Then the end can successfully be prised out with a thin bladed screwdriver. This snap ring is also a single use item and a new one will have to be fitted on re-assembly.

The 5th gear driving gear can now be pulled from the input shaft. Although the gear on this gearbox came off quite easily, it may be necessary to use a puller to remove this gear.

Simply undo them all and prise the 5th gear casing away from the gearbox. There is a gasket between the casing and the main gearbox case so it might require a little effort to prise apart.

7) Split the main gearbox casing

The first thing you need to do in order to split the casing is to remove the two locking rings that locate the main and input shaft bearings.

There are 14 bolts to be undone in order to split the main casing including the three rear gearbox mount attaching studs.

With careful use of a soft mallet tapping the sides of the casing, the casing can now be lifted clear. Again this may take some effort due to the gasket holding the two halves together.

8) Remove the magnetic debris disc

This magnetic disc is located in the bottom of the differential gear casing and simply slides out of position.

The disc acts as a makeshift filter be simply attracting metal particles to is as the various gears and components wear. This should be cleaned and stored carefully, it is rather fragile and if dropped will shatter on impact.

9) Withdraw selector shaft guide sleeve (not 4-speed transmissions)

The selector shaft guide sleeve is only a part of the selector shaft mechanism and not the entire shaft. It is the outer tube around the selector shaft and is secured in place with two circlip's.

They are easily removed with a pair of long nose pliers but be warned, they can cover great distances if simply allowed to spring away (guess how I know that!) Place a rag behind them as a simple way of preventing this from happening.

10) Remove the complete main and input shaft, reverse gear and selector forks

The main and input shafts can now be removed by simply lifting them out of position. However, the selector forks and even the reverse gear will also come out with them as the whole lot comes out as one assembly.

11) Remove the selector shaft and locking plate (not strictly necessary)

The selector shaft is simply lifted clear.

The locking plate (arrowed) is also simply lifted clear, though a certain amount of juggling may be required of the engaging linkages.

If the gearbox you have just stripped is the gearbox you will be using, then the internals and all the component parts should now be cleaned.

I have not dismantled my gearbox any further as there is no need to. So if you decide to go further don't expect to find any details of how to put it back together again on this site.

The contents of this website are purely a reflection of my own experiences and knowledge gained whilst working on my various projects. Anything you do based on what you have read here is done so entirely at your own risk.
Personally I wouldn't trust someone like me with a lawn mower! You have been warned! Flapper-bat!